The Region Four Council (RDC) has recently employed a Deaf youth to work as a plumber/handyman at the Friendship Health Office.
According to a Region Four press release, 21 year-old Julian Sarjoo, who was born Deaf, had attended a skills training session at the Sophia Learning institute for six months where he was taught plumbing. He successfully completed the programme and sought employment within RDC Region Four. He is believed to be the first Deaf person to be employed within the Health services of RDC Region Four, the release added.
The young man, speaking through his sister, Nandranie Singh, stated that he has no plans of moving from the Friendship Health Office where he now works and declared that the staff there are very supportive.
He confessed that while he is deaf he has the ability to read lips and depends on this skill along with his knowledge of sign language to get by. “It’s not very challenging for me as I have an understanding of what the staff needs there to be done and I am already clear of what I am supposed to do. When I get to work I try to do my job to the best of my ability while maintaining great relationships with my colleagues. This job is very important to me and I have no intentions of doing anything to lose it,” he added.
Julian admitted that while his family was prepared to assist him whenever they could owing to his disability he feels that his deafness is no excuse to not work. He said that being gainfully employed is even more critically important as it helps him to better develop himself. He noted that he is hoping that in the near future he can attend more training so as to academically and skills wise improve himself. “I can only get better with training and improved education and that is one of my plans. My mother is very excited that beginning from this month I will be earning my first salary as an employee within the Public Service and I am even more excited than her because it means that my girlfriend and I can get married and start our own family,” he noted.
He expressed his gratitude to the RDC and revealed that too many times persons with disabilities are shunned and discriminated against rather than given an opportunity to showcase what they can do, adding, “I may be deaf but still can work very well”.
